Allegations of indelible ink fading after voting surfaced during the Chittagong University Central Students' Union (CUCSU) election on Wednesday (October 15), but election authorities have dismissed concerns, saying the system in place prevents any possibility of vote fraud.

Voting began at 9:30 am across five polling centres on the university campus. By midday, student organisations including Droh Parishad, Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) at 12 pm, and Islami Chhatra Shibir at 12:30 pm, all raised the same concern — that the supposedly indelible ink applied to voters’ fingers was coming off.

JCD vice-president candidate Sazzad Hossain Hridoy accused the administration of failing to uphold its pledge to use non-erasable ink. 

“Despite repeated assurances from the Election Commission, the ink is not indelible. The administration has already admitted the flaw. This compromises the transparency of the vote,” he said.

However, not all voters expressed concern. Omar Hasnat Siddiq Tanmoy, a final-year student at the Institute of Marine Sciences, told Banglanews after casting his vote at the Faculty of Science centre: “The election is going smoothly. Yes, the ink on my finger has faded, but I don’t think it’s a problem. They’re crosschecking with the voter list, verifying photos, and taking signatures. So there’s no way someone can vote twice.”

Chief Election Commissioner Professor Dr. Monir Uddin acknowledged the complaint but defended the integrity of the process. 

“We’ve received the complaint. Unfortunately, there is no better-quality ink available domestically. A higher-grade ink would have to be imported. But even if the ink fades, it’s impossible for someone to vote twice,” he said.

He explained that voters are verified through a three-step process: first by serial number, then by ID number, and finally by matching the name and photograph on the list, followed by a signature check. 

“Given this multilayered verification, repeat voting is simply not possible,” Dr. Monir added.

SMS/